


The Broken Wing Of The Robin

by TaizaiAlchemist



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: ADHD, Blood and Injury, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Feelings, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Canon-Typical Violence, Dick Grayson Has ADHD, Dick Grayson Has Abandonment Issues, Dick Grayson Has Issues, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Dick Grayson is Not Robin, Dick Grayson-centric, Homelessness, Hurt Dick Grayson, Hurt Wally West, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Jason Todd is Not Robin, Major Character Injury, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Near Death Experiences, Other, Panic Attacks, Past Character Death, Past Child Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Bruce Wayne, Sensory Overload, Street Rats, Underage Drinking, Wally West Needs a Hug, Wally West has ADHD, Wally West is a bro, Wally West-centric, oh boy we are gonna be on a ride, youll find out soon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:28:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27660686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaizaiAlchemist/pseuds/TaizaiAlchemist
Summary: The Flying Graysons fell to their death.Two survived. One unable to take care of himself for the rest of his life. The youngest, known as Richard "Dick" Grayson.Bruce was there, he sponsored it. Watched it. Sickened by its aftermath. He planned to take in that scared boy however Gordon reassured that the boy would be in good hands. At first Dick trusted them. He was in good hands. Good clumsy hands. The boy vanished after being sent to Juvenile, he was promised to be in orphanage and yet even more reason to never trust others.Years later, Years of struggling, stealing and drowning in the never ending lake of bad luck. He bumps into a certain red head. Tall. Had to be two years older at least. Emerald green eyes filled with kindness, A dorky smile.Maybe he could trust him.
Relationships: Artemis Crock & Dick Grayson, Artemis Crock/Wally West, Barbara Gordon & Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson/Wally West
Comments: 18
Kudos: 44





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is going to contain alot of themes. You'll be giving a Warning before each chapter.  
> Well I just got back into the DC Universe after being absent for the past 7+ years or so. I've just started watching Young Justice from the beginning and slowly working my way up, forgive me if some things don't match the canon show and if the character's personalities seem a bit off.  
> Without further ado, Let's start!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Character death(s), Mild swearing, Bullying and Mild Violence.

_CRACK!_

The sounds replayed in Dick's eardrums, drowning out the gasps, scream and cries of horror from the audience. His chest tightened, his legs weak and numb, he felt the aftershock of his leg as it collided with the surface. His eyes darted below to the ground... All he saw was a mangled that was his family members. He couldn't even identify who was who anymore. It never bothered him how high he was. They were so small down there. The image burned through his brain. Pool of crimson red painted the canvas known as the ground. That wasn't a masterpiece. It filled him with abhor.

_He wanted to get down._

_He wanted to get down._

_He wanted to get down._

_Please let him get down!_

_He **needed** to get down!_

His chest tightened, Oxygen depleted from his lungs. How did one breathe again? He forgot how to breathe. Surely all he had to do was open his mouth right? Wrong. A terrified wailed bubbled from his throat and erupted out his mouth. His hands clamped scruff of his hair and converted into a fetal position, no longer having control of his shaking limbs. This had to be a prank! Maybe it was his cousin John who planned it all, they always pranked their parents to just bring out a chuckle or two. Any moment he would hear his cousin's influential and contagious laughter throughout the area. But John would tell him about a planned. He always did. Dick wheezed and shook his head, he thought hard of all the jumbled possibilities that ran through his hyperactive but now overloaded brain. Who knows maybe his parents and Pierre the Illusionist planned the whole thing! His parents always loved to put on a show and would come up with the most bizarre ideas. Any moment now they were going to jump back right up and then claps of praise and amazement would release the anxiety-filled atmosphere. Hold on, those were **screams**. Not claps. This had to be wrong. **It was all wrong damn it!** The nine year old screwed his eyes as another wail ripped past his lips. This whole event, it had to be a nightmare. What would his ~~dead~~ parents say? 

'Close your eyes Dick and take a deep breathe.... We've got you now. Just remind yourself verbally it was just a bad dream. Then open your eyes.' 

That's right it was just a bad dream. His eyes were closed, all he had to do is reassure himself. Then he would see his father bright and confident smile and his mother's gentle and caring touch that always welcomed him in the morning. The raven haired boy mumbled to himself, feeling something stream down his cheeks, was it even possible to cry in his sleep? Oh man what if it isn't a dre- no he can't just give up like that. He reminded himself of his mother's words briefly before his mind got plagued with even more negative scenarios. What if it was a hallucination, coma induced dream, what if it already happened? Man he hated the way his brain functioned sometimes, it was a strength and weakness at the same time. One moment he's regarded as a intelligent kid, always fixated on the task ahead of him. Next he's scolded by his mother for his unacceptable ~~yet understandable~~ behavior, he was told numerous of times to not do something but he did it anyway. Resulted in a 72-day inactive days with a bandaged leg. If only he listened to his parents but instead he did it anyway. He was curios his mother claimed, curios to a danger extent. He couldn't control his thoughts, the energy that surged his legs, he adored the trapeze. The air that brushed his face and hair like he was a little robin in the sky- Damn it! He was distracted again, his mother and father always talked about his inattentiveness and hyperactivity. He'd always go to the doctor but was never informed of the aftermath or results. He recalled the night that his parents where spoke to each other along with his Aunt and Uncle, unaware he had been present in the room. They had all believed that he was asleep along with his cousin cause they had one of their big performances within the few upcoming days. A mixture of Romanian and English filled his ears. Something about being too energetic and being dangerous... His name was thrown around a lot.... He picked up a few words but he was too tired and focused on getting a drink.

_"- kid his age shouldn't get upset when told he needs to stay still." A gruff voice stated... Was that his father or uncle?_

_A hum of agreement followed by much softer and higher pitched voice._

_"He remained unresponsive and shut down when he was forced to do so. That's not normal. Iarta-ma but he's... "_

_"Diferit?"_

_"Yes."_

_"La naiba... Ce au spus ei?"_

_"Calm Rick please-"_

_"Some... Attention ... "_

_"Deficit de atenție. Other words-"_

_"Isn't it quite late?" A small voice questioned._

_They soon stopped as no other than Dick had stepped into the kitchen. "You said it was going to be long day and all... We've got to have energy to practice..." The boy finished, he rubbed his aqua blue eyes. The young boy raised an eyebrow in confusion and shook his head as he identified their eyes filled with concern. Did he say something wrong?_

_"Jesus Dick... Rahat... How long were you standing there?" His father cursed, the raven haired flinched. Whenever his father swore it only meant trouble.. He wasn't supposed to here then. He opened his mouth, he couldn't think of anything witty... He shut his eyes closed. A screeched sound echoed, he breathed heavily and felt a pair of hands on his shoulders, he flinched and his muscles tensed. The touch burned. He didn't like that. He didn't like that at all. He had to move. The person had a firm grip on his shoulders. He was unable to move. Please he begged. He had to move, He hated standing still. Pins and needles developed under his feet. God he had to get rid of them, the pain was unbearable. The prickling feeling travelled up his feet to his lower body, it started to migrate to his hands as well. The raven haired let out a panicked yelp and his hands trembled. He needed to shake off the pain. It was all becoming too much... He shook his hands desperately trying to radiate off the pins that were inserted his body. His pajamas started to stick to his skin. It never bothered him until, it rubbed against his skin like a friction burn. God he hated. The hands on his shoulders were causing him the pain. It prevented him from moving. He barely registered his father's concerned voice, it sounded like static to his ears. Meanwhile his uncle's voice boomed like thunderstorm above his head. Too many things were happening at once. **He wanted it all to just end**. His brain malfunctioned... He didn't even remember what happened next. Too much stimuli happened all at once... Was he even aware of his surroundings... not until he was engulfed in a soft hug._

_Wait was he moving?_

_The pins and needles that were attached to his body seemed to slowly disintegrate._

_"It's alright Richard... Stay with me.. Don't open your eyes yet... Focus on my hold okay?" His mother reassured as she rocked with her now less distressed son. Dick breathed heavily and was almost glad that the pain dulled. She sounded sad.. Had she cried? Well she told him to just focus on her hold. He could that. Anything to get rid of the pain. The hold made him feel warm.. Safe... He was safe in his mother's arms._

Maybe when he wakes up from this damn nightmare, he would be safe in her arms. 

Just focus on her hold. 

It can't be that hard. 

He was dragged out of his clashing thoughts as he felt a pair of hands on his shoulders. 

_His heart froze._

That wasn't his mother's touch. The grip was firm and unfamiliar. His mother always told him not to open his eyes during the episodes of him 'overreacting', Who was holding? It was not his mother or father. Hell it wasn't his uncle or aunt.. not even John! Dick felt his mind go into an overdrive, he needed to get away and move. He retaliated blindly and yelped as his arms didn't land on the ground, his eyes snapped open and what he below was the ground was the mangled corpses of his family members. Oh God it was all real and it wasn't a dream. He stumbled and felt the pair of hands harshly grab his shoulders once more. Those pair of hands stopped him from falling off like his family members. It was all wrong, he needed to be with his family, down there. The raven haired boy heard the thumping of his heart pound his eardrums. Unaware that the man who was holding him was speaking to him, his words were just inaudible static to the hyperventilating boy. Dick felt a sense of relief that he and the unknown man seemed to descend down but that relief was soon pushed back when they had reached the bottom. He shut down. Hopelessness and tiredness seemed to take over his brain now. He flinched as the hands and hold disappeared, the lights of the circus blended with the red seats where the audience previously sat... Everything around him now were just blurs and blobs. He closed his eyes and clapped his hands around his ears. The static noise just seemed grow stronger. He was so goddamn tired... Why couldn't the suffering end? 

* * *

Bruce Wayne had seen alot of fucked up things in his life. His parents dying. Hallucination due to fear gas. Joker. But this was even more fucked up. 

A nine year old child watching his family fall to their deaths with people there to witness the whole event. 

That was another level on its own. 

The millionaire glanced at the scene around him, the bodies had been covered with a white blanket. The police and emergency services had arrived about half an hour ago. His eyes averted to the flashing and alternating blue lights of an ambulance. Somehow one of the Flying Grayons members other than Dick survived. It was his uncle Rick Grayson. However the luck cut there, most likely he would be paralyzed for life. There was no way in hell that one human could comeback perfectly fine after a fall like that. The man shook his head and stared at the youngest member. Richard. The boy was in quite emotional state, no shit his family members just fell to their deaths. Bruce dreaded of how the media would portray the incident..." The Falling Graysons. " That one was being thrown around alot by the blocked reporters. He sighed and escaped his thoughts... Right now Bruce was horrified. However Batman was enraged. This didn't seem like an ordinary freak accident. It was a sabotage... An execution. Carried by whom?

"My God, this is going to be a long night."

The man craned his neck to see Commissioner Jim Gordon approach him. The billionaire sighed. 

"So what's the plan?" 

Gordan shook his head and sighed. 

"Currently an ongoing investigation. A freak accident is not uncommon Mr Wayne. It's one of the reasons why circuses get shutdown. "

Bruce grunted and clenched his fist slightly. Yeah freak accident. 

"What about the boy?"

There was a moment of silence. 

"He's not staying with the circus anymore that's for sure. He's got no other family. Other than his uncle but it seems not even he would be fit enough to look after Richard. For now we have no other choice but to put him in the foster care system. Right now we are just waiting for him to communicate. He's completely shutdown. I don't blame the poor kid. Not easy to accept the reality of dead parents or family members. First stage is always a rocky one. He'll either deal with grief or anger. One of the two. Just depends what path he would take."

Grief and Anger indeed.

He wanted the help the kid... Not make him turn out like he did. Running around as a vigilant who masked the inside of lost and scared child. Or even worse... A criminal. Bruce was always grateful for Alfred but... Richard didn't have an Alfred. 

Instead he had no one. 

"Am I able to speak to him?" Gordan looked at the playboy with a cocked eyebrow and nodded before giving him a warning stare. 

"He may be unresponsive so don't expect him to be easy to get through. I wouldn't recommend talking to him but... Go ahead." 

Bruce nodded, the Batman in him had to rest, for now. He approached Richard, the boy was now in the arms of Mr Haly. The ringmaster whispered words of comfort however the millionaire could tell that the man was close to breaking down in tears as well. The older man looked at the millionaire, he looked more like his age. Old, tired and broken. The man then looked at Richard who was being rocked back and forth, Gordon was right about how the boy was unresponsive. His raven hair scuffled and covered half of his face. His face was pale except for cherry flushed cheeks that were stained with tear streaks. His aqua blue eyes were distant and cloudy... Lost. He was a kid lost at sea. Bruce hesitated and opened his mouth.

"Richard."

The young boy flinched at the mention of his name and slowly looked up at the millionaire. He rocked back and forth, his mouth glued into a thin line, his arms wrapped around his legs that were brought up to his chest. The millionaire felt the boy jerk away slightly as he put his hand on his shoulder. After a few moments, he brought the boy close. He needed a hug. He didn't let go as he felt the boy fidget within the hold. As time progressed, he felt a small cold sensation on his upper shoulder. A small choked sob soon turned into series of distressed wails. 

He didn't know how long Richard held on to him but the bodies had been removed from the scene and well less and less police officers were inside the circus. It was just him, Gordan, Mr Haly and Richard. Gordan had been on the phone, presumably talking to the people who were going to transport Richard to a place to stay. The commissioner pinched the bridge of his noise and his eyebrows furrowed, he let out a few frustrated curses but Bruce paid no attention to it. Instead to the boy who seemed to quieten down. Haly stood by Bruce, he didn't seem to mind that the boy was clinging on to the millionaire. Bruce then heard the commissioner had finished with the phone call however did not look too happy about it, he then walked to both him and Richard. The millionaire sighed and felt the boy remain still in the hold. Gordan cleared his throat and glanced at his watch. 

"It's about time I should take Richard with me to where he is going to stay. " Gordon finished. 

"Where to?"

"Bruce... I know you may have funded the circus but you don't have the priority to know information for Richard's I mean... You aren't going to do anything aren't you? Only Batman can solve this case but if I'm honest, I don't think either him or you should be involved. It looks like a freak accident and it is not too complex for the Gotham Department to handle. Just go home Bruce. It's already too much... Especially for Richard." 

Batman wanted to shout. Bruce wanted to shout. 

However none of them had power of the situation. Gordan was right. It was but too much for Richard. He didn't see the point... Although he and Richard had lost their parents at a young age. He and Richard were nothing alike....He didn't even know the boy up until this very day. 

Batman had given up.

Bruce regrettably nodded and stood up releasing Richard from his hold. The raven haired boy stared at him for one moment. The millionaire was about to turn around and leave until a quiet but heart-wrenching voice spoke up. 

"Thank you Mr Wayne... For doing all this... E-Even if it didn't... go.. as p-planned..."

It hurt. The child thanked him despite going through all of this.... 

"Your welcome, Chum... Stay safe."

"I will. Thank you..."

After another few minutes, he watched as Gordan guided the boy inside the police car after he had said his farewell to Mr Haly and the rest of the circus crew. A sputtering engine roared and the car drove off away. 

_Further away_

_and further away_

_and further_. 

Batman didn't want Richard to go. He didn't want them to take him away.

However. Batman **wasn't** in control. Bruce was. 

He allowed it to happen. 

After all... The boy was going to be in safe hands after this. Start life fresh. 

He'll be fine. 

* * *

A scream found it's way out of his throat. Dick scanned the room frantically and trembled as he sat upright in his bed. 

The fresh cracking of bones and screams rung in his head. 

But he wasn't in the circus. 

No he left that place, months ago. He was in the Juvenile. The young boy rushed a hand through his ruffled hair and panted heavily. His eyes darted towards the clock. 5:40am. Okay that wasn't a good time. That was early. Pretty early. He could still get another twenty minutes of rest or get ready since the elders liked kids his age to be early down- Wait why was it warm and suddenly going cold beneath his blanket? A horrid smell drifted into his noise and he screwed his face into one of disgust, it smelled like- Oh no.. He needed to get up now. He had to somehow remove all the sheets, or even hide them. What if he had already woken them up because him not being to control his stupid fucking emotions still. He didn't know what to do, he was already getting flustered. The clicking of the clock grew louder and his alarm clock beeped continuously. Oh right that clock was slow... They hadn't bothered to change the damn thing. The boy covered his ears and screwed his eyes shut, he rocked back and forth on his bed, he felt trapped in this small and dark room. He hated it. He missed his old home. He missed sleeping in his own bed. He missed smelling his father's cooking, he missed the feeling of his mother's arms , he missed his uncle's cheesy but funny jokes, he missed his aunt's scolding, he missed his cousin's prankster laugh that he adopted himself. God he missed everything about his family. 

He flinched at the loud knock on his door which was then followed by the shouts of the older kids. The shouts soon morphed into laughter. Too much was happening all at once. 

"Well look at that! The flightless boy pissed himself again!" 

"Still crying like a little bitch huh!"

"No one wanted to deal with his crying so they threw him in here. We don't wanna deal with his bitchin' at this hour."

"He's acting weird again."

Dick violently shook his head and patted his ears desperately to make it all stop once and for all. He just needed to focus rocking back and forth and let it all die down. Then everything would be fine again. 

Oh how wrong he was. 

The boy let out a yelp as he was yanked out of his bed and thrown against the wall. He cried out when a fist connected to his stomach. _Ouch that was going to leave a bruise._ The laughter grew louder and the kicks and punches rained down on various parts of his body. It felt like hours when everything seemed to stop, the boys had left on the ground bundled up into a ball against the wall. Dick still had his eyes shut and his arms wrapped around his stomach. Everything hurt. His leg, his stomach, his arms, his face. The most damaged.... His brain. He grunted in pain as he tried to pull himself up from the floor, his body protested against his actions and he was rewarded with fire of pain coursing throughout his body. His vision swirled and he felt ill. He felt tired all of a sudden... _Really tired_. That was unlike him. The young boy needed his alarm clock, the staff were gonna tell him off if he was late to breakfast again including the others would leave nothing left for him as well. It took alot out of him to lift his arm up, the clock was just within his range. There were two.. no three clocks... Man he must have injured his head pretty badly. Tears formed at the corner of his eyes but refused to slide down his bruised cheeks.... It burned. 

He was sick of being in pain.

He was sick of being tired. 

He was sick of being stuck in the damn hellhole filled with awful bastards.

He never should have trusted Gordon. 

He was promised that he would be safe. Yet everyday he felt violated. 

Anger flickered with his chest, he let out a grunt and choked back a sob. He hated this. That man at the circus... He caused all this... He didn't trust that man one bit, he was just there. He had no business of being there ... He caused his parents, his aunt and cousin to fall to their death. He caused uncle Rick to be bedridden for the rest of his life. **That bastard caused him to be sent to his hellhole!**

He touched the alarm clock before darkness consumed his vision.

He did hear one last thing before he succumbed to the battle to sleep... 

_CRACK!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost forgot to add, Dick is Romianian in this story however as I don't know the language myself I have to use the old Google Translate and random websites. I apologize to those who speak the language.  
> Hope you guys are liking this so far and feel free to correct me on some information about the characters as well I am quite behind ^^"
> 
> Also as the fic progresses more tags will be applied also you may see that there will be a few changes in between chapters, this is due to me making mistakes with characters and certain words. I want this to be top notch in a way XD. 
> 
> WARNING: Racist name calling, mild swearing.

"Get back here you darn kid!"

People craned their necks to watch an obese baker cursing out to the thin air momentarily before continuing with their own business. The baker huffed and his fingers fumbled with the string of his flour and sugar stained apron, he thrashed to the side as he chased the little thief who had somehow gotten into the store before its opening time. He ignored a few people's complaints as he tackled through the busy crowds of Gotham, despite being notorious for the most dangerous city in Connecticut, hell maybe the whole of the East Coast. He made good money and had a stable life. It always pissed him off that people had the nerve to steal his freshly baked pastries! The baker soon ended up in an alleyway, hands placed on his knees as he doubled over wheezing. Darn, he had reached a dead end. Where the kid go? The worn down apartment buildings stood tall and enclosed him in a small space with very little light. It was quite refreshing as the weather had increased over the past few days. Damn he shouldn't spend too much time in this place. The fools back at the bakery had the maturity of a toddler and were bound to make situation messier. In addition it was good old Gotham. A shiver travelled down his spine as a similar cackle echoed. 

"Hahaha you know if you keep this up maybe you might hit your weight milestone! I mean it seems to be working for you so far."   
  
"Why you little... Where the hell are you!"

The teen clenched his teeth together to form a smile, barely able to bite back a snicker. _Ouch that must have hit a nerve._ He glanced at the man from his hiding spot, his vision then averted to the fire exit stairs, a cat was sleeping on one of the steps, then there was two clothing racks, a few trashcans then his gaze rested on the opposite dumpster which didn't have it lid closed. Perfect.

"Man you are totally not feeling the aster aren't you? Well I can change that, how about we play a game. Me and my cousin used to play it everytime. Similar to I spy but a little of hide and seek mixed with it. I give you three hints to where I am. Guess the correct things then well you win. I promise never to bother you again. "

"You're a thief and when I get my hands on-"

"But! You can't just invade my hiding spot, you have to guess. Kind of like thumbs up and thumbs down. No peeking or you are automatically losing the game. Deal?"

The baker growled and grunted as a response. The teen smiled and leaned his back against the dumpster. 

"Alright I can see....a clothing rack with a blue shirt. " He started. 

The little bastard! Both of the clothing racks had blue shirts. The kid thought he was so clever. Silence followed before shifted his hand in his pant pocket to get a few marbles before throwing them under the dumpster he was behind. Not what he was looking for. The baker stared at the clothing racks and hummed to notify the hiding thief, he wasn't going to let the kid slide again. 

"I see a dumpster. "

"There's two dumpsters you little sh-"

"I see a dumpster!" The boy interrupted and snickered. "Finally I see trashcan. Where am I?" 

'Why the hell did I get dragged into this! He just a stupid kid, the filthy bastard steals my beautiful pastries everyday! Maybe I should leave but then he would just win and do the same shit again tomorrow!" The baker just shook his head and glanced at the mentioned items. He looked to the dumpster to his right and remembered how there was a trashcan as well. Two trashcans were beside the dumpster. He opened his mouth and the words almost slipped out of his tongue before his attention was drawn by a sharp gleam. What were those? Marbles... They weren't there before... He chuckled to himself slightly, his brain trashed the younger's instructions of the game and he approached the dumpster towards his left. 

"A dumpster, trash can and clothing rack right?"

"Affirmative. Did you make an answer?"

The man almost burst out laughing but decided to play along. 

"I'm just thinking about the hints you gave. Pretty clever. You are a pretty clever kid you know that bud? " He was so close, then he was gonna catch the brat finally. 

The smile soon dropped. 

..... 

Alright now the baker pinched the nerve. 

Man, he was so close. 

"You know.... I made up my mind. I think you are right-"

Dick smiled and jumped out of his hiding spot.

"Wrong! Left that spot earlier ago!" He pulled the trigger to the firecrackers and aimed for the baker who automatically pulled back as sparks blinded his vision and thundered in his eardrums. The teen took the opportunity to climb on to the ladder of the fire escape and ran all the way to the top of the apartment, he panted heavily and faintly heard the man below curse into the thin air. ' _Wow he is certainly not feeling the aster_.' the boy thought to himself before he smiled and held the bag of pastries. He hadn't planned to set off the crackers so close to the man's face, he never wanted to hurt anyone. But the man seemed alright so it had to be fine. Stealing. Not good. Temporarily blinding someone. Better than burning him or blinding him permanently at least. He grabbed his torn up backpack that lay against ventilator exhaust, voices plagued his mind. He could have potentially hurt that man. What if one day his behavior does end up hurting someone? He never wanted that. No matter how much they trashed him around back in juvie, he continued to be a ragdoll. He wanted the pain. He received that pain. He wasn't a monster like they said. He wasn't. He was a good kid. ~~No he really wasn't~~. He had access to certain essentials. ~~Yet he still stole for people~~. He shouldn't have trusted those people. ~~But he still did cause he's a goddamn idiot.~~ He was dragged out of the ocean of his thoughts as he felt spreading and soft feeling in his hands and a crunch sound drift through his eardrums. ~~~~

Ah he almost crushed the food he stole.

Eh. Still edible.

Well he had something for breakfast and brunch.

That was all that mattered right now. 

Dick placed the bags of pastries inside the bag before heading off to his usual spot which was a small café shop just on the boarder of Central Gotham. The coffee shop wasn't really popular however the people there made good money. Possible due to the fact it was near the central and was suitable for people who needed a quick break before continuing with their journeys to work or college. The young teen had been visiting the privately owned café for around two years. A few of the workers knew his face. He never dared to steal from there. It would attract too much attention and the last thing he wanted was to be restrained on a jolly 10 minute drive to the police station. The raven haired was welcomed by the strong scent of coffee that lingered within the small café. He smiled and sat in his usual spot. It was in the far right corner opposite the serving and ordering section, he slumped down the forest green banquette seat and eyed his surroundings. A few adults typed away on their personal laptops while sipping their daily coffee. A young woman chatted with what seemed to be a friend of hers, a mother helped her child with cutting their breakfast into smaller pieces. Dick hummed and placed his bag on the floor and snatched out his laptop and charger before switching it on. The laptop was crap if he had to be honest but what else could a scruffy and abandoned teen afford? Hell he didn't even steal or buy it. He just found in the dumpster one day and was interested. It was riddled with viruses, cluttered with junk files and had a processor that was WAY outdated. Luckily one of the nice former employees in the café _'_ had crucial knowledge of computers and well he just experimented with it. Back when he was at the circus there was limited access to technology. 

The teen rocked back and forth in his seat as he typed away on his computer, _Click! Click! Click!_ he barely noticed customers who ordered and collected their drinks and food. He then reached for the brown paper bag that contained his stolen breakfast. He took a bite and glanced at the clock. 12:15pm. Eh he had time. Wasn't like loads of people were gonna come in and kick him out... Why was he so worried? The power sugar that rested on his tongue seemed to help calm his nerves slightly and he decided to concentrate on the small tv that was in the corner. He wondered what was playing....News channel. Of course. The clicking of his keyboard continued.

"- So far the chemical explosion has injured over 14 civilians. 2 of which are in critical condition and we shall receive further updates on their condition. The cape crusader known as Batman managed to prevent the Scarecrow otherwise known as Jonathan Crane from injuring any more innocent people. "

_Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._

"For now, Crane being transferred back to Arkham. Hopefully he stays there. "

 _Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._

"We have Commissioner Gordon here on the scene. Morning Commissioner, how are holding up so far sir?"

Dick noticed the waitress had planted a mug of warm hot chocolate, he thanked her and was about to dig for his remaining change before she stopped and told him it was off the house. He smiled and thanked her once again, it wasn't like he has enough money to afford a drink in this place anyway. He watched her walk off to serve another table before turning his attention back to his computer. 

_Tap. Tap... Tap._

"I'm quite... exhausted. Even that is an understatement. However Batman manages to help lift off the stress on the department's shoulders. I am grateful he was able to help recapture Scarecrow. "

_Tap.. Tap..._

"-these outbreaks are quite frequent. What plans do the GCPD have in store to ensure tighter security measures?"

" Security measure are probably the last thing on my mind right now. We need to land our focus on the injured civilians. Not just the physical injuries but mental as well. Children who have lost their parents. The Gotham Social workers will do everything in their power to help them. We will ensure that they are safe."

 **Safe**...

He stopped typing and his eyebrows furrowed in slight anger. A choked cackle and angered huff escaped from his lips. 

Why did people continue to listen to this goddamn liar?

He claimed he wanted to make the BPD less corrupt but the man was corrupt himself! 

Those kids were going to be thrown in that detention like he was... 

The raven haired sighed and stared blankly at his computer screen while rocking back and forth. A few applications scattered almost covering his background (one of the Golden age posters of Haly's Circus that he loved when he was younger). Might as well count the Scarecrow incident as non related. He took the mug in front of him and drank the hot chocolate, it's warm contents going down to soothe his dry throat . It relaxed him. He then typed up a few articles of the incident and basically wrote up a short summary. However is still didn't match. None of the stupid incidents had matched since. Well he could always check the warehouse and area out later on. Dick didn't know why but he loved solving out mysteries, possibly his interest of Batman and how the dark knight was somehow a vigilant and detective.,, He pretty much did the work for the whole GCPD and he wasn't even a member. Similar to how a groups of kids are assigned a project and only one person did all the work yet the others still get rewarded despite their uncooperativeness. That was the scenario of Batman and GCPD. Lazy bastards. Although as much as the boy liked Batman he had spark of... anger flickering inside of him. Why couldn't Batman solve the mystery of his parents...Why couldn't he bring Zucco to justice...? That sick son of bitch fled before he could even be convicted. He was out on the loose and they hadn't bothered to find him. 

" _You are a pretty clever kid you know that bud?_ " 

The words from earlier echoed through his enclosed mind. 

* * *

_"...chard.... Dick... Dick wake up!"_

_Was it already morning?_

_He just wanted another five minutes... or ten... maybe thirty. His mother warned him about sleeping later than usual. But he and John had found a book the other day. It was a comic book to be exact. His family barely had money to buy so many personal items including they travelled for most of their living it never occurred to the boy to buy more varieties of books when they already had a few packed away. Most of the books were directed to adults and well he hadn't picked up a book for his age demographic for quite awhile. (Mainly due to his butchering of the English Language) Instead he completely shifted his focus to the trapeze life, he felt like... a bird. A robin. That was what his mother and father matched him... A little robin, it's delicate agile wings streamlining through the sky. He loved it when adrenaline coursed through his body, the air brushing against his skin and hair and-_

_Splash!_

_He hated the water engulfing him from his freedom. Dick gasped and coughed slightly, he heard a small cackle and shifted his gaze towards his cousin. John didn't even bother to hide the obvious half filled colorful bucket containing the substance that woke him out of his dream. He was wore his standard red hoodie with jet black jeans, black and blue socks. A amused smirk was planted on his face. The younger boy sighed and wiped his face with his arm._

_"Not feeling the aster are you lil Robin?"_

_"No I'm not... I'm underwhelmed and exhausted, heavy on the ex too."_

_"Man did the attempted all-nighter knock you out? I wonder what you are gonna be like as an adult." John snickered and placed the bucket on the floor as he grinned at his annoyed cousin who looked like he had woken up from a coma. Dick shook his head and rubbed his eyes for a few more moments before springing up to his feet and stretched. Electricity of energy coursed through his arms and legs, his lips rose upwards into a smile. Okay. Now he was hausted._

_"The fact that your appearance can switch from an old hag to a happy lunatic will always puzzle me, lil Robin."_

_"Shut up... You woke me out my sleep." The youngest yawned_

_"You really wanna miss the last performance because last time I checked-"_

_"The show must go on last time I checked. Also I need my privacy as I get changed, I didn't ask for publicy. "_

_John rolled his eyes at his younger cousin and raised his arms up in defense before walking out the shared bedroom. Dick smiled and switched to more appropriate clothing before heading out of the shared bedroom._

_The boy then headed towards the hybrid dining room and living room, the trailer was quiet and radio murmured traditional Romanian music. His parents were probably helping the circus set up the remaining of the facilities that would be available later tonight for the Gotham audience. Gotham was the last cities in America that they were touring, his family and the rest had previously toured: Star City, California. Chicago, Illinois. New Orleans, Louisiana. (He caught a stomach virus after that performance, he made a mistake ordering that stupid rice dish) Central City, Missouri (He didn't perform that night, food poisoning still persisted from then) and now Gotham. Dick saw wrapped food on the table and smiled slightly as he sat down. **Drob de miel** , his favorite from his father's various dishes. He picked up his fork and started to eat as he saw John approach him. _

_"Better be careful don't wanna spend the final night having an one night stand with the toilet do you?" John joked while snickering to himself._

_"S-Shut up!"_

_"If it weren't for that guy who found you barely functioning, then Aunt Mary would have slaughtered me for even leaving my gaze on you for a second!"_

_"I don't even remember what even happened that day."_

_"Well you did have a fever and suffering hallucinations for half of that day. Uh red head, a few years older than you, few freckles.. Green eyes? Can't remember the rest, didn't even catch his name. Too busy panicking of where you ran off to and how the heck I was going to bring you to the trailer." John finished and crossed his arms as he leaned against the chair frame. Dick shrugged before finishing off the last pieces of the food, he then ran out of the trailing and his feet disconnected from the ground. Then he flew like the little robin he was, his wings stretched out as his vision rotated a full 360 before he landed with his vision of the world flipped upside down. The raven haired smiled as he saw his cousin reached him with his hands in his pockets. The sky was painted blood orange intertwining with navy blue, the black clouds of Gotham almost plagued the beautiful scenery._

_"So what do you wanna do?" His older cousin broke the silence._

_"Says the person who woke me up to do something."_

_John huffed._

_"Someone had to do it."_

_"Hm. Tag?"_

_"Too many obstacles and the different facilities being moved... Also there are already people here. Circus opened at 12PM but you were still knocked out."_

_"What time is it now?"_

_"6:45PM. You were out for 13 hours."_

_"Ah... I spy?"_

_"What is there to see in Gotham?"_

_"....... Hide and seek?"_

_"That's better."_

_Dick flipped to his feet and looked at his cousin with a small smirk._

_"Any boundaries?"_

_"Up to the entrance of the circus. We can't hide near the public places. Got it?"_

_The two boys stared at each before extending their arms._

_"piatră-hârtie-foarfecă! Shoot!"_

_Paper and Scissors._

_The usual trick. Dick sighed and covered his eyes with the palm of his hands._

_120, 119, 118, 117, 116,115, 114, 113, 112, 111, 110....._

_Sound of heavy footsteps bolted away._

_105, 104, 103 ,102 , 101 , 100, 99, 98, 97......_

_He rocked back and forth, the numbers slipping out of his tongue._

_78, 77, 76, 75, 74, 73, 72, 71, 70...._

_His legs burned with electric energy. He had so many ideas of where John could be!_

_57, 56, 55 , 54, 53, 52....._

_The pace of his rocking increased and he stifled a giggle._

_11, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4......_

_Almost free..._

_3, 2, 1._

_He jumped up and bolted off. Honestly he liked Hide and Seek both he and John were great at it. The feeling of being able to just disappear moments after you stood in one place. It was whelming. The raven haired peeked at the corner of the situated, neighboring trailers and checked underneath. No sign of John, he then glanced at the top of one of the trailers, he only made up half way before he got scolded by Sylvester one of the Flamethrower Twins. Dick didn't want to get 'burned' by him or his sister anytime. The boy even went as far to visit Zitka as he struggled to find his older cousin. He shook his head and glanced at the circus inside. John did say not to visit public places as the circus has been open since noon. But he didn't say that the area where they practices and performed were out of bounds. Dick stopped in his tracks as he heard voices inside, he opened his mouth but nothing came out when he realized it wasn't his cousin... No it was Mr Haly and this man... The man was tall, lean. His color of his eyes alienated from each other. One blue and one brown._

_"No way... That's illegal! I'm done with continuing this deal.. All of this cannot go on, Zucco!" Haly shouted, he never raised his voice or showed anger around everyone is the circus, He always calm and kept his emotions in check. He would flash a charismatic smile and his eyes were always bright with happiness. But now those eyes were dull, burning with anger. It was almost as if this Haly was a fraud... The man, Zucco chuckled and took a step forward to the ringmaster._

_"Haly, Haly... It's so simple. Just give me the money and it all ends. No need to be fiesty.... "_

_What was his business with money! Haly owned nobody money!_

_"No I have a right to be angry... God I was an idiot to even agree to this deal! Forget it! It's done for."_

_"It's really not that hard. I need the money for my transport. I have a large shipment arriving in the next week but you know from experience that the American borders are quite hard to get through unnoticed. You gypsies had a hard time getting across and it was my money that helped you wasn't it?"_

_"Never use that word around me and the amazing performers I call my family." Haly growled, "Now for the last time. No."_

_Zucco shook his head and sighed, smoke twirling around the corners of mouth defeatedly. There was no way he was going to change this fool's mind. "Might as well finish you myself...." He reached for his- No no Dick had to stop him, he didn't want Mr Haly to be hurt._

_"Stop it!"_

_Two pairs of eyes landed on him as he ran towards the ringmaster and tried his best to shield with his small frame._

_"Now who's this?" Zucco questioned, cigarette hung loosely at the corner of his mouth._

_"Should be asking you the same question."_

_"Richard please..."_

_"No Mr.Haly, he's trying to manipulate you to continuing the deal. But it's illegal. Isn't it? So he should leave before we call the cops because you're trespassing restricted property!"_

_The man laughed and glared at Dick with a small smirk._

_"My my. You are a pretty clever kid you know that bud? "_

_He continued to glare at the man._

_"Fine Haly. Also Richard.... You'll soon be standing on restricted property."_

_He couldn't help but feel the shiver that raced through his spine. He wasn't aware what took place after that.... He barely registered his cousin concerned voice and his parents bordering questions....._

_He knew one thing..._

_Zucco was right._

_That very night. Dick Grayson was standing on restricted property. Police sirens blaring and police officers dragging yellow tape around the trapeze area._

_The tables turned._

* * *

"Hey!"

Dick flinched and jumped up in surprise, he swore silently as he caught the mug before a drop of liquid could even pour on his computer keyboard. The raven haired sighed in relief before rocking back and forth. 

"Hey short stack I'm still talking to you."

The boy raised an eyebrow as he came across three people in front of him, two of them were just regular teenagers whereas the other was one of the workers. The girl had fairly tanned skin and blond hair that almost reached her hip, sharp jet black eyes. The teenage boy next to her was fairly tall red head, emerald green eyes his eyebrows furrowed at his latter's behavior. Faint freckles spread across his cheeks. What did they want with him? 

"Well least he can hear us now. Almost thought he was brain dead." The teenage girl responded as she placed a hand on her hip. 

"A-Artemis-!" The red head squeaked. 

"Nah I'm brain alive thank you. You need anything? " Dick raised an eyebrow and continued to rock back and forth repeatedly. It calmed him down after experiencing ... that memory. "Surely there are other seats you can sit at right?"

"Yeah well we would sit somewhere else but a certain someone is stinking up the whole café. Also shut it Wally." Artemis snapped and glared at her partner as he attempted to calm her down

"Miss please don't raise your voice. I'm sorry kiddo but she does have a point... Sweat is not a particularly pleasant smell.", The worker rephrased the blonde's words. Dick couldn't help but feel blood gush through his cheeks and his throat to tighten. Usually he would think of something witty. But nothing popped up in his cloudy brain _... Yeah try not having a decent shower because the weather forecast decided to be consistent_. The raven haired closed his computer and glanced around the café. Great the very few people in the café heard the whole commotion. Their faces blanking and withholding their opinions of the situation. it reminded him of Juvie.... When they... He needed to get out of here. He gulped the remaining liquid in his cup, it's contents now cold as it streamed down his throat. It disturbed him. He thanked the worker before stuffing his computer and its charger in his ragged bag. The boy refused to look at the two teenagers as he stormed out of the café. He barely caught the apologetic look of the worker and the boy before his legs decided to be his mind as he bolted out.

It was 4:30PM. 

He might as well head back home... 

Where was home? 

An abandoned dumpsite, honestly it was the best he could do. Gotham was dangerous but the outskirts of it.. Not so much. The raven haired skidded to a stop and panted heavily, he needed to get out of that place. It had all become too much after that argument and the flashback of memories he wished he could forget but were permanently drilled to his brain. His vision blurred as tears threatened to fall down his cheeks but he was almost to his 'hideout'. He crawled underneath a small tunnel that ended with an open space that shielded by the towering debris. The sky almost impossible to see through the gaps. It was dark and quiet. Just what needed. 

Dick barely registered the shock through his kneecaps as he crashed onto the worn down mattress. He breathed heavily and his fingers intertwined with locks of his short and slightly greasy raven hair. His chest raised up and down as he took in desperate huffs of air. His fists clenched his hair until they turned pale white and his breathing rate increased. He bashed his fists against his forehead and growled in frustration. The tears released themselves from their prison and trailed down his flushed cheeks. They were cold... _Damn it he was losing to the battle_....His teeth clenched tight as he tried to suppress the desperate urge to cry. 

A whimper escaped from his lips.

Another series of whimpers crawled from his throat and flowed in the open area.

He wasn't weak... Yet here he was. All alone. Whimpering like a little kid.

He wasn't weak. 

More tears flowed from his eyes and dropped to his shirt.

He wasn't weak..... 

Who was he kidding?

He was weak. 

Then a wail echoed through the room. 

_He had lost the battle._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked this part and I apologize that I took so long. Hope it was worth the wait ^^  
> Would you guys like me write up a part with Dick being sick in Central City being comforted by a certain Red hair like mentioned in the chapter? Please let me know in the comments below and tell me whether it should be in a separate part or nah. It doesn't really play a big part but it may be referenced later on in the story :) 
> 
> See you guys next time. Leave a comment and a kudo too :D

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed it! Please leave a kudo and a comment below and I'll see you on the next part ;)


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